Miketz

41:1 After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile, 41:2 when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 41:3 After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river. 41:4 And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up, 41:5 but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk. 41:6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind. 41:7 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream. 41:8 In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “ Today I recall my failures. 41:10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard. 41:11 One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning. 41:12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually. 41:13 And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.” Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams 41:14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.

41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “ I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 41:16 “ I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “ but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.” 41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “ In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, 41:18 when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. 41:19 After them, seven other cows —sickly, ugly, and thin — came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first. 41:21 When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke. 41:22 In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk. 41:23 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted — withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind. 41:24 And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.” 41:25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “ The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do. 41:26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning. 41:27 Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind — they are seven years of famine. 41:28 It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 41:29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 41:30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land. 41:31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe. 41:32 Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly. 41:33 Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. 41:34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 41:35 Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities. 41:36 This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.” Joseph Given Charge of Egypt 41:37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. 41:38 So Pharaoh asked them, “ Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”

41:39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 41:40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41:41 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “ I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.” 41:42 Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph ’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “ I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.” 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt. The Seven Years of Plenty 41:46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh ’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt. 41:47 During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully. 41:48 During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it. 41:49 So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure. 41:50 Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.” 41:52 And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” The Famine Begins

41:53 When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, 41:54 the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt. 41:55 When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “ Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” 41:56 When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 41:57 And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. 42:1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “ Why are you staring at one another?” 42:2 “ Look,” he added, “ I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.” 42:3 So ten of Joseph ’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph ’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “ I am afraid that harm might befall him.” 42:5 So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan. 42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. 42:7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “ From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “ We are here to buy food.” 42:8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 42:9 Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “ You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” 42:10 “ Not so, my lord,” they replied. “ Your servants have come to buy food. 42:11 We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.” 42:12 “ No,” he told them. “ You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” 42:13 But they answered, “ Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.” 42:14 Then Joseph declared, “ Just as I said, you are spies! 42:15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 42:16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 42:17 So Joseph imprisoned them for three days, 42:18 and on the third day he said to them, “ I fear God. So do this and you will live:

42:19 If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households. 42:20 Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented. 42:21 Then they said to one another, “ Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 42:22 And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!” 42:23 They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. 42:24 And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes. Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan 42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out, 42:26 and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed. 42:27 At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack. 42:28 “ My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “ It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “ What is this that God has done to us?” 42:29 When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them: 42:30 “ The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country. 42:31 But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies. 42:32 We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 42:33 Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘ This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’” 42:35 As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man ’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed. 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “ You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!” 42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “ You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.” 42:38 But Jacob replied, “ My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.” 43:1 Now the famine was still severe in the land. 43:2 So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “ Go back and buy us a little more food.” 43:3 But Judah replied, “ The man solemnly warned us, ‘ You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ 43:4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 43:5 But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘ You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’” 43:6 “ Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “ Why did you tell the man you had another brother?” 43:7 They replied, “ The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘ Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘ Bring your brother here ’?” 43:8 And Judah said to his father Israel, “ Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die — neither we, nor you, nor our children. 43:9 I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life. 43:10 If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.” 43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “ If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man— a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 43:12 Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 43:13 Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once. 43:14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” 43:15 So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. Joseph’s Hospitality to His Brothers

43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “ Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.” 43:17 The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph ’s house. 43:18 But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph ’s house. “ We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “ They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.” 43:19 So they approached Joseph ’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 43:20 “Please, sir,” they said, “ we really did come down here the first time to buy food. 43:21 But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us. 43:22 We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.” 43:23 “ It is fine,” said the steward. “ Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 43:24 And the steward took the men into Joseph ’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys. 43:25 Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph ’s arrival at noon. 43:26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him. 43:27 He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “ How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?” 43:28 “ Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “ He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him. 43:29 When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “ Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “ May God be gracious to you, my son.”

43:30 Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep. 43:31 Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “ Serve the meal.” 43:32 They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them. 43:33 They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment. 43:34 When the portions were served to them from Joseph ’s table, Benjamin ’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph. 44:1 Then Joseph instructed his steward: “ Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one ’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 44:2 Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one ’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed. 44:3 At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 44:4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “ Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘ Why have you repaid good with evil? 44:5 Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’” 44:6 When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them. 44:7 “ Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “ Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. 44:8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 44:9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.” 44:10 “ As you say,” replied the steward. “ But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.” 44:11 So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 44:12 The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest — and the cup was found in Benjamin ’s sack. 44:13 Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city. 44:14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph ’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. 44:15 “ What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “ Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?” 44:16 “ What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “ How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves — both we and the one who was found with the cup.” 44:17 But Joseph replied, “ Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.” Judah Pleads for Benjamin